Remco Evenepoel finds himself in a good place ahead of stage 6 of the Tour de France. Riding a consistent race so far, the Belgian is expecting the first real sorting of the general classification favourites set to take place on Thursday. Over 4,000 meters of climbing on the agenda, the GC favourite...

Yesterday I mentioned building illegal mountain bike trails, but you know whats really dumb?Putting graffiti on a rock:Seriously, even for a teenager thats stupid. Speaking of being stupid, yesterdays ride reminded me that I shouldnt turn the Farbman into a Roadini becauseI already have a Roadini:And a fine bicycle it is, too:So fine I suppose I want to impose it on my other bicycles instead of letting them be themselves, like some overbearing parent who wants the younger son to play football just like his varsity quarterback older brother even though he hates sports.[Just let me be a cyclocross bike with a single-ring drivetrain. GOD I HATE YOU!!!]The Roadini also reminds me of a bicycle Ive long admired, that being a Hampsten Strada Bianca:I mean yes, theyre pretty different bikes, but not that different, and Id argue that as fattish-tired road bikes that side-step the whole gravel thing they share the same spiritand as Ive mentioned before, Hampsten was doing the big tire thing long before it was cool:They were so early they had to go to Rivendell to get their tires!They were also early adopters of this very blog, which I started in June 2007. I was quite surprised when people started reading it, and I was even more surprised when I started getting emails from cycling world luminaries, among the first of whom was Steve Hampsten, who dropped me a line in August of that year. Andy Hampsten also gave me a huge can of olive oil once:[Five (5) liters, or one (1) Cipollini, of olive oil. And yes, I used to have my own coffee.]Not only that, but he also had me over for dinner when I was in Boulder for a BRA, which was shockingly gracious of him, and while my memory is hazy Im pretty sure this is him on the BRA ride we did while I was there:Anyway, I mention all of this partly because the Roadini makes me think of a Hampsten, but also because someone mentioned this in the comments the other day:I dont know if this means Hampsten Cycles is no more, or if it just means theyre relocating or something, but either way tempus certainly does fugit. It also amazes me how many incredible contacts Ive made over the years and how little I have to show for it. Anyone with even the tiniest amount of ambition could easily have started dozens of cycling companies had they found themselves in my enviable position. (I mean my enviable position back then. Nobody envies me now.) Just look at that Ultraromance guy: a bike company, a tire company, a whole line of expensive hobo bindles Meanwhile, Ive squandered opportunities like a Fred squanders C02 cartridges because he doesnt know hes supposed to pull whatever caused the flat out of the tire.But maybe its not too late. Maybe I should buy the Hampsten Cycles inventory and finally start a bike company that reflects my values:I told the AI to create The first bicycle model from Bike Snob NYCs new bike company and itsnot bad? Extraordinarily boring, certainly, but not bad. Sure, Id at least have started out with a geared bike, and if I were to offer a singlespeed road bike Id put proper brake levers on there. But the truth is if Id have come out with that bike in 2008 Id have sold a crapload of them, and as much as I hate to admit it the only truly alarming thing about this image is I appear to be prototyping some sort of ultra-wide rim caliper rim brake:Theres probably some alternate dimension in which I started a successful bike company, but ultimately tanked it by trying to market a fat bike with caliper brakes.But when it comes to falling off as they say, Ive got nothing on Campagnolo:Yes, like body hair on women, Campagnolo has become increasingly difficult to find in France in the modern era:The rituals of the Tour de France can seem immutable: Every morning during the three-week race, the leaders names echo from public-address speakers, technicians run gloved hands over chains, sprockets and derailleurs, and riders clip into their pedals at the starting line. To spectators pressed against the barriers, the bikes look almost identical carbon frames, aerodynamic wheels and microcomputers blinking on handlebars.But a less visible detail attests to a dramatic shift in the fortunes of one of cyclings most hallowed names. Of the 23 teams in this years race, only one is using components fromCampagnolo Srl, the legendary Italian supplier that once dominated the business. The same was true last year, and in 2024 none did. But as recently as 2021, Campagnolo supplied four tour squads, or almost a fifth of the riders. In the 1970s and 80s, the Italian brand equipped about 80% of the peloton.I think we all know the Litany of Campagnolos Failures by now, but here it is again:Campagnolo yielded ground through a series of small, costly missteps. It eliminated its signature thumb shifter, only to bring it back when riders revolted. It lacks significant ties with mass-market bike manufacturers. It jumped into mountain bikes early but let the effort wither just as the category exploded. And it was late four years behind Shimano to offer disc brakes with their superior stopping power. While Campy kept the romance, Shimano and SRAM built 21st century businesses.Campagnolo retains a devoted following among riders who prize its premium finish and Italian design heritage, but its struggled to retain its foothold at the top of the sport. Pro teams today serve as rolling laboratories as well as symbols of relevance; when a component maker disappears from the racing circuit, mechanics become less familiar with its products. Young riders see fewer heroes using the brand, and bike makers have less incentive to design around it.And here are the numbers to drive it all home:Its sales last year came in below 80 million, about 5% of Shimanos bike-component revenue and a 10th of what analysts say privately held SRAM generates.Campagnolos mistakes notwithstanding, I suspect what really did them in was their insistence on using their own hub spline, as a reader astutely noted at some point. Remember when SRAM came out and everyone using Shimano could try it out without having to get new wheels? Meanwhile, for all the cable anchoring tricks and Shimergo workarounds, Campagnolo and Shimano wheels were mutually exclusive until everyone went to 11-speed and you could switch wheels with abandon (and I believe Campagnolo even adopted Shimanos brake pad insert shape), but by then it was too late.Of course, there is still one thing Campagnolo can still do to save itself, and thats stop chasing those tacky companies with their radio-controlled plastic parts, pare down their operations, and and just make something classy like this until the end of time:Theyll never do it, but at least a small and loyal following is better than courting millions of fickle dilettantes.Or at least thats what I tell myself.

Paul Seixas' date with Tour de France destiny is upon him as the teenage sensation is set to measure himself against Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and the rest of the general classification contenders on the slopes of the legendary Col du Tourmalet. Stage 6 of La Grand Boucle will see the Decathlo...

Lotto-Intermarchs Huub Artz has been reprimanded for his hand position during todays stage 6 of the Tour de France.Artz escaped from the peloton in a three-man break with Victor Campanaerts and Mads Pedersen. But TV coverage showed the Dutch cyclist had two conversations with the race commissaires car.The race commissaire was unhappy with Artzs position, who had his hands inside the bar and underneath the brake lever.The UCI implemented restrictions on the aero position in 2021 to prioritise rider safety. The rule states: The rider shall normally assume a sitting position on the bicycle. This position requires that the only points of support are the following: the feet on the pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle.This outlaws positions where riders place their forearms in contact with the handlebar to assume a more aero position.After his discussion with the commissaire, Artz dropped back to the peloton leaving Campanaerts and Pedersen as a duo up the road.Whether or not Artz will be disqualified or receive a yellow card for his riding position, is yet to be seen. But the interaction spurred objections from TNT Sports commentator Adam Blythe.Blythe pointed out that after the incident Campanaerts was riding with his forearms flat on his handlebar. I think theyre kind of, by the sounds of it, making rules up, he queried.Pro Cycling Stats, which was threatened with legal action during last year's race, posted on X and said that if Artz was Jan-Willem van Schip hed probably be packing his bags already.Yesterday, Artzs teammate Baptiste Veistroffer survived 144km in a solo break. I wanted to enjoy myself, he said.

Paul Seixas reaches the first major mountain examination of the 2026 Tour de France with the spotlight already firmly on him. Still only 19 years old and riding his debut Tour, the Decathlon CMA CGM Team leader heads towards the Tourmalet as one of the most closely watched riders in the race. Speaki...

Jonas Vingegaard avoided time loss on Stage 5 of the 2026 Tour de France, but Chris Horner was left questioning why the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had been so far back before the late crash that split the peloton in Pau. The former Vuelta a Espana winner dissected the chaotic sprint finale on...

In this freewheeling short piece, Shaunn Watt reflects on the expectations versus reality of any bikepacking trip and how that reality is ultimately presented. Read his thoughts after a recent getaway in British Columbia and find an accompanying set of photos here...The post The Best Campsites Just an Hour and a Half Away appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.